Episodes
Aug. 5, 2021
Stories From Our Team; Listener Q&A
In another in our series on our team’s own college stories, Kyra Tyler joins the show to talk about pursuing a bachelor of arts in flute performance at Northwestern despite having no interest in a musical career. Tune in to l...
July 29, 2021
Demonstrated Need; 3+2 Engineering Programs; Supplemental Essays
What does it mean when a college states that they cover 100 percent of demonstrated financial need? Is that too good to be true? We have thoughts—and facts—and we’ll share them! For those students interested in engineering, w...
July 22, 2021
Financial Fit; Supporting Your Recruited Athlete; UC Myths
We frequently—and strongly—suggest that families discuss what they can afford when it comes to college. But talking money can be challenging. We have advice to make “the talk” a bit easier. Athletic recruitment has many movin...
July 15, 2021
Tips for Transitioning to College; The Importance of Saving Money
Congrats to all graduating seniors who successfully applied to college and are preparing to start this fall. Laura Amigone, a college success coach from Rudder Coaching, joins the podcast this week to offer advice to these st...
July 8, 2021
Preparing for College Interviews; Listener Q&A
College interviews aren’t part of the process at many colleges in the US. But interviews are an opportunity for candidates to add a more personal component to their applications at those institutions that offer them. Find out...
July 1, 2021
Early Education Degrees; Common App Essay; Personal Finance 101
Interested in earning teaching young children as your career? Learn more about the Horizons Teacher Degree Program, a no-cost degree program for all full-time employees in Bright Horizon’s early education centers and preschoo...
June 24, 2021
Tips for Transfers; Paying for Advanced Degrees; Physical Therapy
Are you heading off to college pretty sure you want to transfer after year one? We have some thoughts about this approach that we’ll share with our listeners this week. If you’re wondering how students fund graduate and profe...
June 17, 2021
A Parent’s Perspective; Summer App Work; Tuition Payment Plans
This year our own Elizabeth Heaton is in our listeners’ shoes as she helps her son navigate the college process. She’s sharing her thoughts with co-host Ian Fisher. We’ll also lay out a suggested schedule of summer work for r...
June 10, 2021
Med School Residency Matching; Listener Q&A
Many students think the final hurdle to becoming a doctor is graduating from medical school. But in fact there is another one looming: residency matching. If you don’t get a residency, you can not become a doctor. We have som...
June 3, 2021
ROTC, Tuition Reciprocity Programs, Recommendation Letters
Have you heard that you can pay in-state prices for an out-of-state school? One way to make this happen is through tuition reciprocity programs. We’ll discuss how those work in today’s podcast. We also have information about ...
May 27, 2021
Staying Healthy in College; Healthy Finances and Mental Health
This week’s show is all about health, from remaining healthy while you’re in college to maintaining healthy finances as a way of supporting mental health. Jill and Dave Henry, authors of the newly published College Health Gui...
May 20, 2021
Scholarship Searches; Film Majors; Common App Activities List
As frequent listeners to our program know, the best sources of scholarship money are the colleges themselves. But there is more money out there for students willing to put the time in to look. We’ll offer tips on doing those ...
May 13, 2021
SAT VS ACT—What Are the Differences?: Listener Q&A
Those students who do plan to take standardized tests this year have a choice: ACT or SAT. But how do you make that choice if you don’t know what the differences are? ArborBridge CEO and former tutor and curriculum director M...
May 6, 2021
College Deposit; Working In College; Pre-Med Application Options
Congrats to all those seniors who have made their decision and deposited at the college they will attend next fall. Now what? We have what you need to know about what comes next. In our ongoing medical school series, we’re co...
April 29, 2021
Gap Year Options; Athletic Recruits; Project Management Tips
Wanting a break before starting college or looking for something interesting to do before applying? Rebecca Barr of Education First will join this week’s podcast to discuss gap year options through Education First. We also ha...
April 22, 2021
Who Gets In and Why: A Conversation with Jeffrey Selingo
Excited to welcome New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Selingo to the show to discuss his latest, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions. We discuss everything from the impact of marketing and rankings on...
April 15, 2021
Applying to Undergraduate Business Schools; Listener Q&A
Interested in majoring in business as an undergraduate? We’ll share information on coursework and activities that might help your application stand out. We’re also answering your college admissions and finance questions in ou...
April 8, 2021
Making a Final College Choice; Applying to Catholic Colleges
If you’re a senior, you are likely in the middle of deciding where you’ll attend college next year. We have thoughts on how to evaluate your choices en route to making a final choice. We also have insight on Catholic colleges...
April 1, 2021
Summer Planning; Career Counseling for Teens; FAFSA Changes
It’s almost summer (please!)—have you made plans to do something interesting? Tune in to learn more about finding and deciding on summer opportunities, whether in-person or virtual. If you aren’t sure what your career path is...
March 25, 2021
Discussion with reporter Melissa Korn, co-author of Unacceptable
Join us this week for an in-depth discussion with Wall Street Journal reporter, Melissa Korn, co-author of Unacceptable. We’ll delve into the who, what, where, and why of the Varsity Blues scandal. More importantly, we’ll tal...
March 18, 2021
Preparing for the College Essay; Listener Q&A
For colleges that require it, the college essay can be a key component of a successful application. In no surprise to anyone, writing is hard! We have ideas on how to work on your writing skills in preparation for writing you...
March 11, 2021
Demonstrating Interest; RD Results; Parent Financing Options
COVID, COVID, COVID. Are you as tired of it as we are? As you know, COVID has impacted a number of things about the admissions process, especially visiting colleges. Traditionally the gold standard of demonstrating interest t...
March 4, 2021
Veteran/Military Families; Racial Justice & Equity at Whittier
If you are part of a military family or a veteran, you’ll want to tune in to today’s show. We’re looking at veterans going through the college admissions process and financial benefits for veteran and military students and th...
Feb. 25, 2021
Military Academy Application; College Lists; Financial Aid Awards
Eager to start the college process but not sure how to begin? We have a framework you can use to build your preliminary list, and we’re sharing details. For those interested in pursuing admission to a military academy, we hav...